Henry Lee Lucas

Henry Lee Lucas (August 23, 1936–March 13, 2001) was an American criminal, convicted of murder and once listed as America's most prolific serial killer. However, he later recanted his confessions. He once flatly stated "I am not a serial killer" in a letter to researcher Brad Shellady.

Early life

Lucas was born on August 23, 1936, in Blacksburg, Virginia. He described his mother, Viola Lucas, as a violent prostitute and his father, Anderson Lucas, an alcoholic and former railroad employee who had lost his legs in a train accident, and who suffered from Viola's wrath as often as Henry. Lucas reports that Viola regularly beat Henry and his half-brother, often for no reason. Henry once spent three days in a coma when his mother hit his head with a plank of wood, and on many occasions he witnessed his mother having sex with a variety of men. Lucas described an incident when he was given a pony as a gift by his father's friends, only to see his mother shoot and kill it.

Related Topics:
August 23 - 1936 - Blacksburg - Virginia - Prostitute - Alcoholic - Railroad - Coma - Pony

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When he was a teenager, Henry Lucas claimed to have been introduced to bestiality and killing animals for pleasure—the latter a common trait amongst serial-murderers—as well as receiving convictions for petty theft. Lucas had also lost an eye during a fight with his half-brother and subsequently had a glass eye.

Related Topics:
Bestiality - Petty theft - Glass eye

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Lucas claimed to have first murdered in 1951, when he strangled a girl who refused his sexual advances. Like most of his confessions, he later retracted this claim. In 1954, Lucas was convicted on several counts of burglary in and around Richmond, Virginia, and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. He escaped, was recaptured, and was released in September 1959.

Related Topics:
1951 - 1954 - Burglary - Richmond - 1959

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